


To Be Continued; After College and Beyond

by ultrasuperfangirl



Category: My Mad Fat Diary
Genre: Character Death, Coming of Age, Friendship, Love, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-27
Updated: 2014-03-27
Packaged: 2018-01-17 06:29:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1377313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ultrasuperfangirl/pseuds/ultrasuperfangirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Love was made.  Lives were lived. And as with any story, losses were mourned.<br/>All things in life and love are bitter sweet.</p>
            </blockquote>





	To Be Continued; After College and Beyond

**Author's Note:**

> This is what happens to our gang after college and beyond - well into marriage, children and the inevitability of the loss of our loved ones.
> 
> Written as a summary of each characters path after college.
> 
> (This might hurt a bit.)

Danny Two Hats eventually became “Dan” to his friends. He joined the rest of the gang at college, where he fell head over heels for Archie’s former flame, Lois. Despite snide comments from Stacey and Vicki, Lois went on two dates with Dan before she realized that she was head over heels right back.

With Dan’s support, Lois eventually grew out of her relationship with Stacey and Vicki and after college, Dan followed Lois when she left Stamford to study journalism in the US.

Liam dropped out of college and started working construction. Through work mates, he met and eventually married a woman named Sarah, who helped him see strength and happiness in himself that he never thought possible. Over the course of their lives together, they had three children _(Adam, Lily and Owen)_ and although they did eventually separate and divorce, Sarah would always describe Liam as one of the best and most natural dads she could have ever hoped to have for her children.

After college, Izzy started working in a local dress shop which jump-started her passion and career in fashion, while Chop worked as an auto mechanic. After marrying in 2002, they moved to London to follow Izzy’s dream job at Elle UK.

Chloe didn’t marry nor have children, but maintained a long time committed relationship with a man named Marcus, whom she met at her first waitressing job out of college. They opened a small but very successful café in Stamford, where Archie played regular sets every Friday night.

Finn and Archie attended University together and both became teachers of English and music respectively. Archie had a few relationships throughout college and University, but finally settled down with Barney, who had been a friend and partner in crime to him since their second year at college.

Rae, with mentorship from Kester, became a youth counsellor in the same hospital that helped her retrace her path in life.

After his graduation from University, Finn approached Karim to ask for his blessing in proposing to Rae. Karim silently took Finn by the shoulders, hugged him tightly and cried tears of joy.

Rae and Finn were married in a small but beautiful ceremony in the garden of the Bouchtat home, with the calls of birds from Karim’s menagerie acting as their wedding march. Rae was radiant in a simple cream coloured gown designed by Izzy and brand new, bright red Chuck Taylor high tops. Chloe, Izzy and Rae’s beloved sister Minnie stood by her side, while Chop, Archie and Danny stood with Finn as he watched Karim walk Rae down the aisle. The Nelsons danced their first dance to Wonderwall and as the reception carried on into the wee hours of the morning, their hands never came unclasped.

A few months later, they found out that Rae was pregnant. The twins, Tix _(a girl with a loud, booming cry)_ and Reni _(a boy with a face permanently set in a smile)_ were born without complications in the autumn of 2005. As they grew up, people would always tell them both that they had Finn’s smile and Rae’s eyes.

**Love was made. Lives were lived. And as with any story, losses were mourned.**

When Rae slipped away peacefully at the age of 53 after a long battle with cancer, Finn was there by her side, as he had been every moment since her diagnosis and all of the subsequent remissions and relapses.

In the weeks preceding Rae’s last days, the Nelson house was a buzz of activity.

After being released from the hospital for the last time, Rae refused to be confined to the bedroom, so they arranged for a bed to be set up in the front room of their house, where Finn slept on the couch beside her.

Minnie and her husband Sam were a regular fixture along with the twins – making sure the house stayed clean and Finn and Rae stayed fed.

Karim stopped by every day on his way home from work, usually with a small bundle of flowers for Rae. A widower himself who had lost Linda only a few years earlier, Karim always left Finn with a handshake, a pat on the back and a knowing and supportive smile.

Archie and Chloe came around on Friday nights, when they re-watched their favourite movies and talked over each other while eating popcorn and drinking cider.

Chop and Izzy made a trip down from London to see Rae. The few days they were in Stamford they spent in the front room of the Nelson home; Izzy holding Rae’s hand and listening quietly as Chop regaled Rae with jokes and stories about their life in London. The night before Izzy and Chop were due back in London, Archie and Chloe brought in food from their favourite chippy and the six of them drank and ate and reminisced all night long with Rae drifting in and out of sleep every so often. That night, they all fell asleep together around their friend's bedside. Chop and Izzy were a mess of arms and legs on an air mattress in the middle of the room; Chloe was curled up in a huge blue arm chair that Finn always loved and Rae always hated; and Archie slept on a slightly cramped loveseat, close enough so he could still hear Rae's breathing. Finn was stationed, as usual, on the couch at Rae’s bedside.

Two days later the house was quiet again. She was in their home - stereo on a constant loop of their favourite songs, the dull roar of friends laughing still ringing in her ears – and she was happy.

That night, before she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep for the last time, Finn sat at her side, hand grasping hers tightly, and spoke his final words to her. 

“It’s ok Rae. Wherever you go, I promise I will follow.” As tears began to form in the corners of his eyes, he felt a small, faint squeeze coming from her hand to his. He kissed her palm gently and listened to one of her last breaths before finally whispering “As always. To be continued.”


End file.
